gentle hands (discontinued)
by xxbirdy
Summary: She was a lot of things, but primarily she was his remedy. inspired by the fanfic 'Correspondance' and Neil Hilborn's 'OCD'.
1. Chapter 1

**hi guys! So, if any of you who were following my other story which is also called 'gentle hands', THIS IS THE SAME STORY. i realized that i hated the way the other one was going, and i realized i could write way better for you guys. so i decided to delete that other one, keep the plot, but change the point of view. and write better, of course. the key events that happened previously may or may not proceed the same way. i want to make this more realistic, more heartfelt. i want to impress you guys. i want to make your guys' heart race, alright? alright! here we go!**

chapter 1

mikan inhaled the cold morning air as she exited the bus. running her hands down her pencil skirt, smoothing out the creases formed from sitting for nearly thirty minutes among other morning commuters, her eyes roamed from the perfectly paved sidewalk to the high-rise lined sky. the news had spoken of clear skies, but clouds hung heavily above. that didn't seem to diminish the nervous elation the brunette harbored; after seven years, she had finally returned home.

upon graduation, mikan took to europe in pursuit of worldly opportunity. she had a passion and heart for providing whatever she had to offer for others, and she was given a position as a financial analyst with a non-profit organization that worked toward providing disaster relief. made purely of volunteers, there were even times when mikan rolled up her sleeves and headed out to places around the world that had been devastated by hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. and now she was brought back to tokyo where her very short job search resulted in a job interview, which brought her to the steps of Alice Tech. & Associates, situated at the heart of tokyo.

the building itself was a block up from the transit station, so mikan took this time to calm her racing heart. her application to Alice Tech & Associates had been a desperate impulse, as she had already applied to at least four positions spread across three weeks prior. having heard back from none of them, and her savings rapidly draining, she took hold of the opportunity as soon as her good friend sumire had told her of it. her fiance, koko, worked in close relation to someone in need of a secretary and was kind enough to ask sumire to relay the message. much to mikan's surprise, she heard back from HR within two days which was definitely record timing, so mikan immediately expressed her interest.

the sound of her heels pelting the ground came to an abrupt stop when she reached the doors. large, platinum letters spelled out the name of the prestigious company just above revolving glass doors that towered well above her small five-foot-two frame. the mere sight of it seemed so intimidating, and it made the put together woman feel under-dressed in her black pencil skirt and creme, silk blouse. nonetheless, she didn't think before taking the last remaining steps that separated herself from greater tokyo and prestige.

and it truly seemed like an entirely different and manufactured world. the floor was made from white, marble tile that couldn't have been anything but expensive. having been raised with considerably less money than her peers, mikan fought the urge to walk carefully across the tile which was far too valuable to scratch. she felt completely out of place, having never owned a single luxury item in her life, and suddenly she is standing amongst employees dressed in the finest of tailored suits, dresses, and skits. the dark grey, intricately painted walls provided for a dark, almost suffocating affluence. the front desk and surrounding furniture was made from a wood of light finish, which mikan would bet the last of her savings that it was all ethically sourced from a furniture company that she'd even go far as to say promoted worldwide environmental efforts.

mikan shook her head in hopes of removing the awestruck look from her face. that, and standing at the front desk was a man who was awaiting her approach. his eyes landed on her the moment she walked in, and watched as she stood looking at the interior. she had caught him giving a small smile before looking back toward the desktop before him, allowing her to take in her fill. quickly, she walked to stand before him and put on her brightest smile.

he was definitely not the kind of front desk operator you'd see the the movies: dressed to perfection, making their aged looks appear rather handsome. instead, this man had to have been around mikan's age, maybe even younger. he had a pair of glasses that magnified his eyes by a fraction, making mikan feel he paid far more attention to detail than most people she'd run into. his hair was perfectly styled, parted on his right with a few strands of hair falling onto his forehead. he looked like the kind of person you went to to express your concerns. mikan kept this in mind in the event that she got the job.

"how may i help you today?" mikan snapped herself out of her admiration, and blushed when she realized she must have been staring.

she cleared her throat, finding her most professional voice. "my name is mikan sakura, and i am here for an interview with...uh-"

embarrassed that she forgotten the name of the HR representative that called her in for an interview.

"it must have been harada-san," he aided as he picked up the phone, pressing a series of buttons. silently asking mikan to wait, he paused only for a moment before this "harada-san" must have picked up the phone. he first spoke of mikan's arrival before placing the phone back on the hook. he reached under the table and provided mikan with a card. "use this to get into the elevator, and head to the top floor. good luck, sakura-san." and something in his tone provided mikan with a small bit of confidence.

mikan nodded and expressed her gratitude before turning for the elevators. and just when she thought the building couldn't get any more extravagant, the elevators themselves seemed like gifts from a royal family. the tiling was black, in contrast to the lobby flooring, and there were silver accents along the deep mahogany walls.

such a beautiful place, mikan admires just as the elevator doors close, prompting her to press the button to the top, publicly accessible floor. there were two more floors above that, beside which was a bracket the group them together under one category: special access. she was somewhere in the middle of speculating the possibility of an illegal business being run on the topmost floors when the doors suddenly opened. she jumped, not expecting to be delivered to the 33rd floor in such a short amount of time. she soon after blushed when she realized a woman how must have been harada-san smiled humorously, undoubtedly having seen mikan's flustered response.

"welcome, sakura-san," harada-san bowed respectfully. mikan also bowed, but gasped when the doors begin to close despite the fact that she had yet to exit. harada-san caught the doors, laughing softly, and allowed mikan to exit. unknown to her, mikan was profusely belittling herself for being so aloof.

 _you won't get the job if you keep acting like this_ , she told herself, as she entered the same state of mind she was in when she got the job as a financial analyst.

mikan was admirable in that respect. she was a very clumsy individual, but also capable of a high level of professionalism. she was able to capture the attention of many people, and most of the time it was unintentional. regardless, she often impressed all who came into contact with her, but she remained extremely modest and considered herself lucky. even now, as mikan introduced herself after such a spectacular display, harada-san was taking note of the individualistic aspect mikan was already bringing to the table.

harada-san asked the mikan follow her and, as soon as they rounded the corner, mikan found herself drinking in the beautiful office space. to her right was a wall that arched inward. located in what mikan presumed to be the middle were glass double doors, above where were letters that formed Alice Tech & Associates. it wasn't until they passed these doors that mikan realized it was the floor's lounge. there were armrests strewn everywhere, providing for great conversation. situated in the middle, which was also the first thing mikan saw, was a fireplace. taken in its entirety, it was truly a beautiful lounge space that mikan could imagine herself doing work in.

on the opposing side of the floor were glass-walled offices. each were relatively the same size, except for one which was considerably larger than the others. none of the offices had blinds, except for the larger one, so mikan could see into each office. most were empty. this was understandable, harada-san said, because there was plenty of work the executives could do at home. "meetings are usually what calls for our executives to be in office but, other than that, hyuuga-san prefers employees not to place too much strain on themselves. we have a very progressive workplace." it seemed to mikan that harada-san was pitching the company to her, which was odd seeing as mikan still had yet to prove she was good for the job.

regardless, mikan said nothing as harada-san delivered her to the furthermost office. she watched as, instead of knocking, harada-san pulled out her phone and hit a number on speed-dial. within seconds there was an answer, and harada-san said, "yes, mikan sakura is here to see you." she immediately hung up and turned on her heel, looking mikan in the eye with a hope that caused mikan's skin to crawl.

then the door opened, revealing a man of his own caliber. he wore a black suit, accompanied with a deep maroon tie that matched his piercing eyes. mikan felt the immediate scrutiny and fought the urge to say, "nevermind!" and rush home. rather, she stood still and couldn't help but notice the subtle hints of what seemed to be sanitizer. she noticed harada-san had taken a few step away, almost as a way to give him his space. there seemed to be no animosity between the two, simply a silent agreement. he nodded to her, and she gave a nod in return, her smile never fading. harada-san looked to mikan and mouthed the words, "good luck."

mikan swallowed hard, because it all suddenly made sense to her as she stared at the man who would be interviewing her. the time at the front desk. even just now with harada-san. they weren't just saying, "good luck."

 _they were warning her._

 **i already feel that this is way better than my last one. i kept writing, and writing, and writing. i mean, i'm just so excited to get this out. i dreamt this scene up, and i immediately got to writing. i've been writing ALL DAY, and erasing and then writing it up again. and then erasing it again. you know, the cycle.**

 **anyway.**

 **that was the first chapter, and i think i'm going to make fridays my days to post everything. it'll give me all week to write here and there when i can. and then i can deliver to you guys and actually stick to my promise!**

 **-birdy**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I am doing good so far: I've officially posted on the day I said I would! Hopefully this keeps up throughout the school year, but I don't know. My schedule seems like it'll be easy but, at the same time, I'll have to write a** ** _lot_** **of papers.**

 **But I want to deliver for you guys so I'll try super hard to keep up a good schedule! For now, every Friday!**

 ** _Chapter 2_**

The man before her didn't begin introductions. Instead, he stepped aside and craned his head, directing her into his office. Just from where she was standing, mikan could see the beauty of it all. She could see pieces of the skyline peeking above the floor, observed via the line of windowpanes just behind his desk. Standing behind the desk were two other men, one mikan recognized to be koko. he gave her a knowing smile, which in all honesty provided a small piece of relief for her.

She bowed politely before walking in, but only far enough for the man behind her to close his office door and walk a measurable circumference around her. Mikan found this slightly odd, but it insulting. The man continued to walk until he too was standing behind his desk, which was neatly organized and accompanied with a freshly opened bottle of hand sanitizer. He stood between koko and a blonde, blue-eyed man in a light gray suit. all three, standing together, seemed like heaven, hell, and the angel that would deliver you to your fate. biting her lip, she took in another reassuring look koko threw her way before walking forward and bowing.

"good morning," she spoke softly, yet loud enough to let those men know that she meant to impress them with her own prestige. "my name is mikan sakura. thank you for having me today."

koko looked to the red-eyed man that stood to his left, who then responded almost coldly, "thank you for being on time. you may take a seat."

mikan assumed he had meant the only one out of two chairs that was prepared for her, so she took a seat. koko looked as though he was ready to roll his eyes, but it was the blonde that spoke as they all began to take their seats. "i believe what hyuuga-san meant was thank you for joining us today. my name is nogi-san, and it is to my understanding that you and yome-san know one another?"

hyuuga-san, whose facial expression had been nothing but composed, now allowed his brow to twitch. mikan would admit, this was indeed a conflict of interest. however, mikan didn't feel comfortable lying once the application provided an area to specify how she had heard of the job position. not to mention, she hadn't known koko would be present during the interview. regardless, she squared her shoulders and replied, "yes, koko and i are acquaintances. he had brought my attention to the job position."

" _just_ acquaintances," hyuuga-san decided to speak in this moment. his hands were firmly interlocked under his chin, elbows resting in a chair that was most obviously his. while mikan, and the other two men sat in armchairs, he sat in a black, cushioned chair that seemingly engulfed his frame. it also seemed to be an intimidation tactic and, needless to say, mikan was slightly intimidated. but she would not take this insult lightly.

before koko could speak on her behalf, mikan quickly responded, "yes. acquaintances. i know him through a friend, who informed him of my job search upon my return to tokyo. if you would like, i have my resume in which i thoroughly explain-"

"i have a copy," he interjected, producing what indeed was a copy of mikan's resume from a black, leather folder.

nogi-san took a moment to give information about the position, using a tone that was almost apologetic. "well, sakura-san, i don't know how much you know about the position, but essentially you will be what we call a chief executive secretary, which means you will oversee tasks assigned to you by hyuuga-san. you will receive and direct guests of this floor to respective secretaries, and we do this as a way to minimize foot traffic on this floor. there are more tasks that we will ask of you, but that information will come should you receive the position." he smiled and nodded, to which mikan responded with a smile of her own. he then continued with, "now, knowing this, what makes you a great candidate for this position?"

oh. that was a good question. in fact, mikan hadn't had any secretarial work in her work history. she had several financial positions, her highest ranking being the financial analyst, but she hadn't any secretarial work to draw from. so, instead, she explained, "with my experience as a financial analyst for a disaster relief non-profit, i believe there is a lot i can learn from this position, but there is also a lot i can bring to this company." koko nooded, silently cheering her on. and either hyuuga-san noticed or he truly had a consistent critical attitude for he look at mikan, unimpressed. "Alice Tech & Associates wants to make deals and see results, and it is great at making deals and seeing results. but i believe there is a way to make the process more efficient, and that is by taking a practical standpoint. it is by making our team and what we can offer the best that it can be before we appeal to other clients. as a financial analyst, that is what i did and i was good at it. i was able to take even the worst numbers and get people on board. as a secretary, i can utilize that. if you give me the goal, i can get people on board in an exemplary organized fashion."

mikan was breathless. koko sat dumbfounded, nogi-san as well. hyuuga-san leaned back, and finally allowed a smirk to appear on his face. and this went on for several cycles: mikan would get asked a question, she would answer, and then her listeners would find themselves impressed. after about the second time, she no longer felt nervous. she continued to express her innovative expertise, which resulted in hyuuga-san holding up a hand once he had decided he had heard enough. mikan waited patiently, more exhausted from talking so much than nervous as she felt she should have been.

but hyuuga-san simply looked to his male counterparts, a single look speaking a thousand words mikan could not interpret. she watched on, and made direct eye contact when he turned back to her. he raised a brow and asked, "so? when can you start?"

mikan was almost crying as she was walked out by hyuuga-san and nogi-san. koko had stated he had a meeting he had to get to, but he didn't forget to welcome mikan to the team. nogi-san lead them down the hall and to the elevator, nodding to secretaries that they passed who would then look to mikan with a very welcoming smile. it was odd that this floor was so inclusive that they knew decisions before they were even announced. almost to prove mikan's speculation, as they passed the lounge, a woman came bolting from the lounge, a cookie in hand. she had a very unusual pink shade of hair, but is was amazingly beautiful on her.

"watch it, umenomiya," hyuuga-san spoke up behind mikan in a way that didn't sound vindictive at all but... friendly.

umenomiya apologized just before peering around nogi-san to look mikan in the eye. she then looked at the faces of the men who stood alongside mikan before allowing her face to break into a large smile. "hi," she beamed, "my name is Anna umenomiya, but you can just call me Anna. Welcome to the team..?"

"Mikan sakura," mikan bowed.

Anna responded with her own bow. "may I call you mikan? everyone on this floor is basically family, I'm so happy you'll be our new addition! I won't bore you with conversation right now, we will have time for that later. My desk is over there-" she pointed to an empty desk sitting in front of an office "-so if you ever find yourself with some free time, by all means stop by!" She gave a wave of goodbye, leaving the three silenced by her excited nature.

as the three continued on their way, nogi-San saying something about how a workplace such as the one they worked in provided for amazing personalities. mikan agreed, looking after the girl, glad that she had managed to make a semi-friend even before her first day. despite the fact that mikan had such a lovely personality, she was nervous when it came to making friends. after all, she was back in Tokyo and the people she used to speak to hadn't seen her since high school so naturally they lost contact. only one friendship had been preserved, and that had been sumire but, other than that, mikan had no one.

she didn't think too much about it, knowing her friendships form whenever they form. instead, mikan thought she'd focus on the elevator ride which seemed to last forever now that she was in the presence of two men that were essentially her bosses. she stood nestled between the two of them, her body secluded to herself so as to it touch either of them. they were both unbelievably tall, which made her feel she was being delivered to her maker and not just the lobby. she even breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar tile of the lobby.

and she was so fixated on getting home and relaying the entire series of events to sumire that she didn't realize the elevator wasn't entirely level with the ground. getting on wouldn't have caused a problem, but getting off meant the top of her foot got caught and she went stumbling into the first person in front of her: *hyuuga-san*.

he turned in time to catch her, probably because he heard her small gasp. behind her, nogi-san attempted to grab her arm in an effort to catch her as she had landed roughly into hyuuga-san's arms. instantly she departed from her, blushing from embarrassment, and profusely apologizing. hyuuga-san looked as shocked as she was, almost mortified. his eyes didn't bother to follow her as she respectfully bid her farewells before bolting for the door, only to backtrack a few steps to return the card given to her to the front desk. she said her goodbyes to him as well, learning that he somehow managed to deduce she earned the position, but also his name: Yuu Tobita. He informed her that she'd have her own personalized card key on her first day, to which mikan responded with gratitude despite the fact her she could still feel a specific set of eyes in her. Tobita-San noticed, and allowed her to complete her departure.

 _the next day, the elevator was fixed._

 **Can I just say that I'm super excited my writing style has gotten** ** _way_** **better? There might be mistakes because I type way fast, but I definitely want to go back over and edit out the plenty of mistakes. But I'm currently mooching off the internet at my job so I have to make this time quick!**

 **Thank you all for your beautiful words and beautiful presence!**

 **Have a fantastic day!**


	3. Author's Note

**SO IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT PEOPLE DON'T APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT NOTHING IS CAPITALIZED. REFER TO THE FOLLOWING REVIEWS THAT I'M NOT SURE YOU GUYS CAN SEE BUT I'LL SHOW IT HERE:**

"Why aren't you capitalizing anything? Do not influence such lazy writing into the fandom.  
Your story looks good but great god, do you submit your school essays like this?  
Please, just capitalize what is meant to be capitalize. FFS, this is something 4th graders know how to do.  
I swear, you people could spoil a fandom. Good story line, s*** editing. Just do the right thing and stop being so annoyingly different."

"At least you used some capital letters. Amazing story, s*** editing."

 **YOU GUYS ACT LIKE THIS SHIT DOESN'T HURT. AND YES I KNOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO IGNORE ALL THE TROLLS OR WHATEVER BUT YOU AREN'T GONNA TALK TO ME AS IF I WON'T SAY SOMETHING BACK.**

 **I ALREADY TOLD YOU: IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, LEAVE. LIKE, GOD, HOW TACKY AND RUDE IS IT TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE LIKE THIS AND STILL STICK AROUND?**

 **I ALSO TOLD YOU I WOULD EDIT LATER. THIS SHIT IS UNEDITED, FOLKS.**

 **BUT ALSO, WHO THE HELL IS "YOU PEOPLE." YOU DIDNT ASK ME WHY THINGS WERE LEFT IN LOWERCASE. WHY ARE YOU OVER HERE ASSUMING SHIT? BECAUSE IT MAKES YOUR CASE AND MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE BILLY BADASS?**

 **WELL HERE'S A NEWSFLASH FOR YOU PEOPLE WHO WANT TO START SHIT WITH ME:**

 **I JUST MOVED, WHICH MEANS I DON'T HAVE INTERNET. I JUST MOVED AND I CAN'T AFFORD IT RIGHT NOW. EARLIEST I CAN GET IT IS TWO WEEKS FROM NOW WHICH IS ANNOYING SO I TYPE ON MY PHONE. I TYPE ALL 2,000 WORDS ON MY PHONE SO EXCUSE ME IF I DONT WANT TO GO BACK AND CORRECT MY PHONE WHEN IT DOESNT CAPITALIZE ANYTHING. THERE'S A REASON WHY I SAID I WOULD EDIT LATER, AND THAT'S BECAUSE I CAN'T USE MY LAPTOP RIGHT NOW. HAD THESE PEOPLE ASKED ME, LIKE ANT DECENT HUMAN BEING SHOULD HAVE, I WOUL'VE SAID, "YES, IT ANNOYS THE HELL OUT OF ME TOO BUT I FIGURE POSTING THE STORY NOW IS MORE IMPORTANT TO ME THAN WAITING TWO WEEKS TO EDIT AND THEN POST FOR YOU GUYS."**

 **I'M NOT "ANNOYINGLY DIFFERENT" I AM FUCKING POOR. I WOULD RATHER EAT THAN PAY FOR INTERNET RIGHT NOW.**

 **BUT I CAN COMPROMISE. SEE? IM NICE.**

 **INSTEAD OF FRIDAYS, I WILL POST SATURDAYS UNTIL FURHER NOTICE. I CAN USE THE INTERNET WHERE I WORK, EXCEPT I WORK SATURDAYS. NOT FRIDAYS.**

 **HAVE A BLESSED DAY, EVERYONE.**

 **Note: this is a rant for very specific people and, if you didn't submit these reviews, don't feel accountable for this. I just want to show you what I as an author have to deal with. I'd prefer that these reviewers weren't just guests because I would definitely namedrop them right now. Anyway. I want to show you all what I have to deal with because, even if this stuff makes me so angry I could throw in the towel, I look at the encouraging reviews and find dozens of reasons to keep writing. When I post, it is an extremely rough draft and I'm not talking about the lowercase. I have no problem with writing every single chapter first and keeping it to myself until the story is complete, but having others enjoy imagination through Gakuen Alice by my side makes me so happy I can't contain this to myself. I want you guys to have a part in the development! So I will continue to post, mistakes and all, because you all make such a great community that I enjoy being a part of.**

 **I truly love all of you, and I want you to know that there are two sides I could listen to: you all, or reviewers like the ones I've shared with you today. I will always choose to listen to you guys. I cannot express how much I believe you guys are beautifully kind-hearted people, and I wish I could give you so much more than just a story. You guys are changing my world. You guys give me so much confidence to become the best that I can be. To produce the best story that I can. And there is no amount of words that will properly convey my gratitude. So I will push through mean comments. I will stay strong. For you guys.**

 **Last but not least. Mean Reviewers who I don't have the names of: I will continue to write for you as well. My followers inspire me to be kind, so I will be kind to you as well. I won't apologize for my rant, because I am between a rock and a hard place and I didn't appreciate being spoken to like that. Next time, just message me. I'm not a terrible human being. I can take criticism when it's constructive, but you insulted me. Questioned my intelligence. I just don't think that's fair. I'm not sensitive, I'm just not understanding where this all is coming from. So just message me, for god's sake, and I will hear every word. I will respond to you personally, and address your needs/concerns. There is a way to do things, and leaving reviews like the ones you left is not the way. It is so disrespectful for the people who are putting themselves out there in the name of sharing their passion.**

 **I have a birthday party to get to, so I have to go now. If this upsets you, just message me so I can talk about it with you. I do not like being out into a position where I can't have a conversation to resolve disagreements, so I asked that you message me, okay? Maybe I'll set up an email or something to solve that problem.**

 **Let me know what you guys think about that email idea in the review section.**

 **Love you, and goodnight.**


	4. Chapter 3

**About to clock into work so really quick: Sorry for the late post. I made sure to make it extra exciting for y'all!**

 **Have a blessed day!**

 **Love you lots!**

 **chapter 3**

Mikan exited the elevator on the 33rd floor, almost expecting Harada-san to be standing there, which would then mean the events from the day before had been but a dream. This would include her embarrassing blunder. But Harada-san's wasn't present when the doors opened, and that meant that mikan had to come to terms with the fact that she indeed tripped and fell onto her boss. In the grand scheme of things, however, it wasn't the worst she could do. But in having remained composed throughout the entire interview—something she still hadn't come to understand, by the way—and during her encounter with Ana, Mikan just _had_ to display her clumsy nature just steps from salvation. One of the things that provided her with a great relief was the fact that she hadn't received any sort of retraction in terms of the job offer from neither Hyuuga-san nor Nogi-san, and that had to be because they managed to laugh it off in her absence.

That's what she kept telling herself, anyway, because despite the fact that Hyuuga-san didn't say anything, the shock on his face was enough to tell all. His eyes were almost inhumanly wide, and his mouth was slightly gaped open as if he intended to form words but couldn't. He was effectively mortified, as if Mikan was covered in manure and she had successfully dirtied his million-dollar suit. When she thought of it in this way, mikan wanted to slap herself just before dropping to the floor to grovel for forgiveness. She had assumed she would have time to address it before the start of work, as she showed up a good thirty minutes early just to get a feel of her desk space, but she was surprised to find that Hyuuga-san was standing at her desk. Waiting for her.

"You're early," he observed, almost as if he didn't expect that from her. His hands fit comfortably in his pockets as he stood a good distance away from her desk except, when she approached, he didn't take a step back like she thought she would. In fact, she was almost scared to note that he may or may not have taken a step closer to her. Mikan noticed how he eyed her critically except it was far too passive to be threatening. It was the look you gave someone when you were attempting to jog a memory, so Mikan must have assumed her arrival reminded him of something important the two of them had to get done that day. "And poorly dressed," he then added, causing Mikan to draw herself out of her thoughts. All feelings of uneasiness left the premises. Rather, she looked down to her simple business attire and questioned what was so _poorly dressed_ about it. It was standard to wear a blazer and a simple pair of slacks. "No matter. Have Ruka send you the lookbook, and heed to it from this day forward."

Hyuuga-san sighed. "Nogi-san, to you." _Oh._ "Regardless, my day is going to be spent with a potential buyer, and I will need you to take care of everything else." Mikan bit her lip, to which Hyuuga-san responded with a low smirk. "What? Did you think I would go easy on you just because it is your first day?"

Mikan then responded with a glare that she couldn't contain, sensing that if you looked deeper beneath his cold exterior, Hyuuga-san had a sense of humor that may entail teasing others. _Hopefully_ , Mikan thought for her own sanity, _that isn't the case._ But the fact that no one within the office seemed to fear him was working against her hopes. "No," she responded highly, "I was just wondering what I should do when I finish early."

As soon as she said 'when' and not ' _if_ ', his smirk grew wider, almost becoming a semblance of a smile. Without saying anything he moved to walk past her, only he stopped when he was standing beside her and Mikan could feel their shoulders almost touching. Immediately she grew tense and aware of the fact that their proximity didn't bother him despite the fact that every observation she had made of him thus far clued her in to his preference of having a good distance between himself and just about everything else. He looked to his side, and down onto her. When their eyes met, he assured her, "You won't." And then the door to his office shut behind him, leaving Mikan to sift through the combination of her cherry blossom shampoo and his obsession with sanitizer.

Blinking rapidly, and finally finding a moment where her heart was not racing, she turned to ensure no one saw the exchange. First, something like that couldn't look good to anyone who closely followed workplace policy. Second, if someone were to ask her what just happened she would be stumbling over her words as she hadn't the slightest clue as to what that was. Yesterday he had been unfashionably cold to her, even assuming her and Koko were in a relationship, and today… he wasn't. _It could be mood swings,_ Mikan decides to assume. _Yes, mood swings._

Upon sitting in her desk, Mikan finds a sticky note which provided her with her own login and temporary password. She uses it immediately to get into the system and find her way to her workplace email. First, she emailed Nogi-san for the lookbook, because her goal was _not_ to stick out like a sore thumb. Second, she takes a quick look at the schedule Hyuuga-san had put together only to find that it was in pristine condition. Not a single item was misplaced, and everything was so as to keep the two of them busy all day, save for a small lunch break. In this moment Mikan remembered Hyuuga-san's cocky, " _You won't_ " and blushes.

In between every meeting there is about a ten-minute leeway to provide for an easy roll-over into the next task. Mikan had never seen such organization before, and it caused a sneaking suspicion to creep into her mind for only a few seconds before she quickly whisked it away. _That's none of your concern,_ she tells herself, and instead appreciates the fact that she wouldn't find herself running every which way around the office.

It took her only a few minutes to become familiar with the system, and then a few minutes more to find the print and copy room to college a few memos she had wanted hard copies of. She was in the middle of brewing herself some morning coffee when other employees began to file in. Among them was Anna who looked crestfallen when she saw a the coffee in Mikan's hand, despite the fact she had brought a cup from her favorite coffeeshop for her new coworker. Needless to say, Mikan immediately abandoned her cup and accepted her coworker's offer.

Throughout the rest of the day, other coworkers introduced themselves, and offered a further conversation during their breaks. One however, didn't seem to keen on speaking to her. Her name was Luna, per Anna, and she apparently didn't take too kindly to any of her coworkers. "It's a wonder she's still here," Anna spoke quietly, taking a sip of her coffee. "Oh, and I made cookies!" Mikan took one for herself, afraid of seeing Anna's depressed expression when she was normally a bubble character. The cookie ended up being delicious, anyway, so Mikan made a note to accept an offer from Anna whenever it was made.

That, in its entirety, was Mikan's morning. As she conversed with whomever wanted to exchange a few words, she finished the tasks Hyuuga-san had asked of her. Now that everyone was off doing their respective work, Mikan found herself sitting idly at her desk as she waited for an expected phone call. After that, the rest of her day would follow suit. She just needed this client to _actually_ call. As she waited, Mikan sifted through her email only to find that she had gotten almost a dozen emails from Hyuuga-san. The first stated that she oversaw scheduling from that point on, and that he wanted it to be modeled after the example he had given her. The others were meetings and reminders that he asked she put in the calendar before the office meeting which was at two o'clock that afternoon. Shrugging, she immediately got to work and found that scheduling had to be the easiest part of the job despite his fine attention to detail. It only took a few minutes for all the events to be put in the calendar, and she sent it to Hyuuga-san for confirmation. As soon as the she received confirmation that the email was sent, the phone rang.

As she picked up the phone, Mikan moved over to the calendar notes regarding this phone call which stated the specific hopes Hyuuga-san had for this client. At one point, he stated he refused to accept anything else. The deal, however, was important in moving forward with the company's expansion overseas. Make it work, was what Hyuuga-san's notes eventually culminated to. But "making it work" was far easier said than done as the client wished to speak to Hyuuga-san only, to which Mikan had to repeatedly refuse. After about the fifth time of asking, the client threatened to back out of the deal, forcing Mikan to say, "Wait, wait, wait!" She looked back to her boss' door and swallowed difficulty, afraid to go knock which would essentially be admitting that she couldn't do this task. Her pride flared at the thought, and instead she went into the computer network to find the projections for that month. After a minimally extensive search, she found exactly what she was looking for. "I will give you what I know and from there you may decide," Mikan spoke confidently as she made sense of the document before her. "Hyuuga-san is not meeting or speaking with anyone at that moment, which means you will be speaking to me on this matter. I also know, by cutting this deal, your profit will increase considerably versus simply holding stocks as you currently do. With stocks, your portion of the company's value will be based on profit here in Japan. With this deal, your portion of the company's value will be based on profit here and overseas. Not to mention, our company will gain worldwide credibility. What we want is to make a deal that benefits the both of us and, while you can profit from our popularity, we con profit from your company technology. A merger does not have to be on the table, but with you last innovation, projects you are still paying for are becoming obsolete. In conjunction with what we do here, we can take that off you hands, make it bigger than what it is, and increase both your share of stock and commissions. You could either profit from there, or wait as the possibility of future endorsements and exchanges won't be wiped off the table as they would if you were to hang up right in this moment."

There was a long, drawn out pause before an answer came. Mikan leaned back in her chair, finding it difficult to contain the smile that was forming. "It was a pleasure doing business with you as well."

"I want her to handle all business calls."

A deafening silence snuck its way into the room, engulfing everyone in shock and, if you were Mikan, embarrassment. Anna squeezed her arm while so-called Luna blatantly rejected the idea. There were plenty of mixed responses after that and, among the dozen in the room, Mikan recognized a good number. Others were new to her, of course, like the purple-eyed woman who sat next to Hyuuga-san but a reasonable distance away. She eyed Mikan, then eyed Hyuuga-san, but said nothing and that managed to make Mikan even more nervous.

After all, it had been Mikan's very first day when, during her very first meeting, her boss was making what seemed to be an unprecedented decision. Mikan looked over to Koko who gave her a nod of encouragement, which is to say he meant: you got this. This caused her to suppress a smile, and she did so by sinking her chin onto her chest. But to Hyuuga-san it must have looked as though she was recoiling in the sight of ridicule, so he maintained a posture of confidence and gave her a nod, telling her to follow his lead. She blushed, of course, and then sat up straight with her shoulders pushed back. Her eyes immediately found Luna's whose glare intensified, but this time Mikan didn't look away. She had every reason not to.

"I agree that it was a very huge win," a man who introduced himself as Tsubasa-san relented, "but my worry is that it may have been beginner's luck. No offense, Mikan-chan."

Mikan cleared her throat, "None taken."

It had become increasingly apparent that Mikan's coworkers were using less of a formal tone with her, and it warm her heart. She was beginning to feel less like the odd one out, but more a part of this family Anna had told her about. Hyuuga-san looked to her, seeming like he was about to say something when the woman next to him interjected. " _Beginner's luck_ ," she scoffed.

"Imai—" Hyuuga-san gave a warning tone but she interrupted once more.

"Beginnings luck is waking up late but still managing to arrive to the meeting on time," she eyed Tsubasa-san who blushed sheepishly. "Or baking peanut butter cookies for a team that luckily does not have any peanut allergies." Anna protested, wondering why she was suddenly thrown into the middle of this. Everyone laughed. Even Hyuuga-san smirked and Mikan caught herself staring. "Beginner's luck is being saved when you shouldn't have been," the woman named Imai clarified. "It is not striking a multi-million-dollar deal based on pristine, calculated thinking. That is skill." She leaned back in her chair, seemingly irritated, while Hyuuga-san nodded in agreement.

Mikan took this time to quietly raise her hand, to which Anna quietly whispered to her that she didn't have to. She could simply speak. "Oh," Mikan responded quietly. "Sorry." But by this time everyone was looking at her. Nogi-san smiled softly, coaxing her to continue, while Hyuuga-san raised a brow. "Um… It was really an impulse. I panicked, and would've said anything to keep him on the line—"

"But everything you said was something any executive would've said," Nogi-san defended. "I see no problems with this. Natsume is in a meeting almost every second of the day, and our clients call only as a last resort. If Sakura-san were to take these calls, it wouldn't be too often. That, and it wouldn't hurt to have all of our bases covered."

"Regardless," Luna finally interjected, "You can't waltz in here and step on people's toes just because you can bat a couple of eyelashes." Mikan choked, and Hyuuga-san spoke Luna's name almost as a threat. But she ignored him. "Maybe I should ask about whatever had you two so close this morning? Especially since Natsume hasn't touched anyone or thing here for the duration of his time as CEO. What did you do? Did you _sleep_ with him—"

The table jumped. The sound of a fist hitting it reverberating throughout the room. Everyone watched as Hyuuga-san's fist sat on the table for only a second before he raised his hand, hovering over the table. Imai-san looked extremely on edge as Hyuuga-san visibly shook, his balled hand into a first once more to contain it. "That is enough, Luna," he said softly.

"Oh, Mikan," Anna whispered softly into Mikan's ear, but Mikan was too lost in keeping her tears of embarrassment locked away. She could feel her face heat up as the eyes of everyone turned to her, their thoughts of her taking whichever turn they wished. She said nothing, she just removed Anna's hand from her arm and excused herself silently.


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Sorry for the late post but a lot is going on in my life right now. I promise it is all good things, and as I get everything in order I promise to share it with you all! First let me say that I don't like advertising my other writing on this site but, as I've found myself loving each and every one of you, I can't help but want to keep you all in the loop. Especially since my other writing commitments will have me distracted and I might not be able to post on time. That, and my quality of writing may go down as I rush to get a chapter out to you all.**

 **Do I think this chapter's quality is a little lower than the others? Yes, I do. But I promise to pick it back up for the next chapter and make sure everything is stellar from here on out!**

 **Thank you guys so much and have a fantastic day!**

Chapter 4

Mikan desperately wanted to believe she was alone in her escape, but she could tell by the footsteps coupling hers that she was wrong. Closing her eyes, she breathed in a sigh for composure and turned on her heel abruptly. She didn't give herself time to guess who stood behind her, leaving her not too surprised when she found her boss, Hyuuga-san, looking at her critically. Almost apologetically. Regardless, there was a trace of shock written on his face. "What," Mikan scoffed. "Did you expect me to start crying?"

He looked around, trying to avoid admitting he had assumed just that. "You left...," he seemed to trail off, and Mikan couldn't help but note he actually seemed flustered. Beside himself, even, which she deduced from the way he couldn't manage to stand still. His eyes trailed away often, as if he was trying to keep his mind off of something in particular, and it didn't take much for Mikan to realize what that 'something' was.

At his sides hung his hands, but they were balled into tight fists. So tight, his knuckles turned white. He kept them rigid so as not to touch himself. It was as if he had some sort of vile substance in his palms he was trying to keep to himself. It was from this that Mikan knew. Or thought she knew, at least.

A realization dawned on her, and she began searching her pockets. She knew she put it in one of them, just in case, and when she came across it, she told her boss to hold out his hand. He looked to her suspiciously, to which she responded, "You can trust me, you know. I'm here to make your life easier." Which wasn't a lie but, given the Luna fiasco, it would have been difficult to provide evidence. Even still, Hyuuga-san thought for a moment before holding out his hand. Mikan tried not to think too deeply about his sudden trust in her, and instead asked that he opened his palm. When he did so, she swallowed hard and looked behind him. The r continued, and it seemed as though Hyuuga-san had left the rest for Nogi-san to continue. To them, should they have looked, it looked as though Hyuuga-san was simply talking to her.

Breathing deeply, Mikan ignored the scene occurring in the meeting room and instead removed the hand sanitizer from her pocket and made a specific effort to not touch anything but the sides as she squeezed the cold liquid into her boss' hands. Hyuuga-san looked to her with a confused expression but nonetheless relaxed once the sanitizer made contact with his skin. Mikan quickly elaborated, "It seemed as though you weren't too fond of germs. So I thought it best if I were prepared." She looked to the pocket-sized bottle. "I found some extras in the lounge during my lunch break so I took one if that's-"

"Thank you," Hyuuga-san looked to her without breaking any ounce of eye contact. It almost drove Mikan crazy trying to keep up with him. She was relieved when he suddenly turned around and announced that he'd be returning to the meeting. "I will be speaking to Luna about her accusations. I ask that you not let her perspective deter you from further working with us."

And with that he was gone, leaving Mikan to decipher his departing words. She immediately shook her head, reminding herself that it was _first_ day, meaning everything she thought to be happening was just her nerves. Everything seemed completely absurd in the first place, and the thought of her sharing everything with Sumire later that night made her feel even more insane. She could hear Sumire now: "Mikan Sakura what is your _life_?" And, honestly, Mikan didn't know.

But, rather than dwelling on causes that were lost to her, Mikan decided she would return to the meeting. If she were being honest, the workplace already felt like home to Mikan. Her peers were beyond friendly, and she couldn't let one woman stand before the rest. The only thing that concerned Mikan was the fact that, though the job wasn't physically demanding, Mikan felt extremely tired and it could have been due to the emotional rollercoaster she found herself on. There was the animosity with Luna, but then there was also the sudden comfortable nature Hyuuga-san was displaying. Perhaps it could have been because Mikan had impressed him but, either way, there was something odd in the way Hyuuga-san regarded her. She didn't want to think too deeply about it, but Mikan figured it'd be good if she kept a good distance between herself and her boss. After all, she didn't want any special treatment. This therefore meant she'd have to make a decision the rest of the office wasn't expecting.

Mikan had returned to the meeting as she promised, and everyone remained silent. She received many relieved smiles, the biggest coming from Anna, while Luna remained largely silent. She even refused to meet Mikan's eye, even when Mikan made a point to look directly at her. With something to fight for, Mikan refused to be intimidated. Hyuuga-san welcomed her back, to which Mikan expressed her thanks, and he continued with the meeting. Because Luna had interrupted the very first topic of the meeting, Hyuuga-san returned to it at the conclusion of the meeting so as to close that chapter of the office news. "As for Sakura-san's responsibilities—"

"I think it's best if I did not take on the responsibility," Mikan interjected, causing everyone to look to her. She remained impassive, which was impressive considering her nerves were causing a wave of nausea to wash over her. After all, she knew this would be a problem Hyuuga-san would later have to deal with. She knew this because Hyuug-san looked to her as if he had just been betrayed, and Mikan didn't know why she hadn't previously characterized him as being dramatic.

After all, his was quite a dramatic reaction because after the meeting ended, he demanded that Luna meet him in his office without giving her so much as a glance. On his way out, he didn't even look to Mikan who was about to ask him a question in regard to his schedule. So, she went back to her desk where she worked silently on not pressing matters. It was while she was doing this when Imai from the meeting appeared before her and said nonchalantly, "He's pouting."

Mikan looked up and around, only to find that yes. Imai was speaking to her. "I see," she responded awkwardly and slowly returned to her work. It was against Mikan's integrity to gossip about her boss who was in his office right behind her, angrily scolding one of her co-workers. For the most part, she heard absolutely nothing but she could tell from Luna's silence that it was relentless.

Imai leaned against Mikan's desk and introduced herself. "Hotaru Imai, liaison for Engineering Affairs."

Mikan cleared her throat. "Mikan Sakura. It's nice to meet—"

"I know your name," Imai stated almost as if _she_ were the one who was interrupted. "I'm here to ask you for a favor." Mikan's eyebrows raised but Imai didn't give her a chance to respond. "There's an annual meeting coming up here in about a week, and Hyuuga needs to be there."

Mikan nodded, understanding what Imai was asking. "Would you like me to add it to his schedule?"

"Yes and no." At least, Mikan _thought_ she was understanding. "Hyuuga never goes to this event, but this year I need to change that. I need _you_ to change that." Mikan's eyes widened. _What in the world is this place,_ Mikan thought to herself as she wondered when her first day would begin feeling like her _first day_ and not some movie drama. "Don't look at me like that, it's unsettling. I need you to convince Hyuuga to go, which should be easy seeing as you're his new favorite."

Mikan immediately jumped to her own defense. "I don't know what Luna said to you but—hey what are you doing?!"

From hands, Imai took the keyboard and turned to screen to face her. Mikan looked around helplessly only to find that everyone else was in their offices or at their respective desks, immersed in their own work. She didn't feel brave enough to snatch it back, seeing as Imai held a position of considerable power, so she stood by and waited helplessly. She was in the middle of praying for the least amount of damage when Imai rotated the computer screen and smirked. "Watch and learn."

Mikan's eyes searched her desktop, finding that Imai had gone into her personal calendar and added a new event. Her heart almost leapt out of her chest when she saw it was the annual event Imai had talked about. This wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't an agreement between Mikan and her boss that she share her calendar be viewable amongst the two of them so as to easily schedule work matters. This meant that Hyuuga-san had just received a notification of the added event. Mikan knew this, as the muffled arguing in his office had stopped. First Luna emerged, looking defeated, and then came Hyuuga-san who looked even more menacing when he was livid.

Moving quickly to explain, Mikan turned to ask Imai to explain only to find herself alone. Imai had made a quick and silent escape.

"In my office," Mikan heard Hyuuga-san order far too calmly. " _Now_."


	6. Chapter 5

**Alright guys heres the deal: I'm going to speed up this part a bit. I'm going to admit that I hate** ** _everything_** **happened on her first day. Like what in the world how is that remotely realistic? I was so lost in my day to day things that I completely screwed up the timeline so I'm going to do my best to keep it as realistic as possible from this point on (no guarantees)! And then when I finish, I'm going to go back and edit this crap out of this. I'm going to space everything out which may mean more chapters. I promise to keep the storyline the same.**

 **I realize that this is probably a terrible writing dynamic, but I'm learning as I go. This is the first time I've dedicate myself to posting a story online, and I mean a** ** _longer_** **story, so I'm trying not to beat myself up too much. But, god, sometimes I'm writing and I feel like I'm playing you guys beacuse I'm imporivising as I go. This chapter honestly wasn't supposed to happen, but I had to slow things down somehow.**

 **And I'm also trying to look on the brightside: yes this is an extremely rough draft with a ton of plot mistakes and whatnot, but I'm learning how to grow from wonderful people (you) and I'm also showing you that I'm by no means perfect. I always want to be completely true to my readers, and I love that you guys are seeing this side of me. When I read something, I often think of the author as someone of high stature that I can't reach. I don't want you guys to think that about me. Instead, think of me like your neighbor who makes terrible jokes and writes sometimes rushed stories. Think of me as a friend! Not an author. A friend!**

 **Anyway, I'm done prepping you guys for this one. As always, thank you for reading and please let me know how I can improve. Also, let me know what you think about the whole "making the final draft/adding more in/making this the best it can be" once I am done writing the entire story!**

 **I love hearing from you guys. You guys are such beautiful people!**

 ** _Chapter Five_**

"What in the hell do you think you are doing," Hyuuga-san hissed with blind contempt. Mikan could tell he was furious in the way that he paced the room, looking about the air as if it would provide an answer, not the mildly shaking secretary inching her way away from him. In the low light of the setting sun, her boss looked almost surreal. Almost god-like. And that didn't help seeing as some god-like creature was in the process of containing an anger Mikan had yet to quantify.

Mikan cleared her throat, hoping it would resonate firmly throughout his office. "Imai-san came and—"

She jumped when Hyuuga-san halted in his trek about the room, his foot landing hard on the wooden floors, causing intimidation to settle into Mikan's bones. Looking around, she waited for him to speak. In the meantime, she thought of ways to explain her unfortunate circumstance. "You went above my head," he bit out. "Me. Your _boss._ Your _employer_."

"Um, yes, but—" Mikan stammered, only to be interrupted again.

"Dammit, Sakura, this is something that requires my discretion!"

Hyuuga-san, once again, looked beyond himself. His eyes darted every angle they possibly could in search of a solution to the problem that had presented itself. Mikan could tell, in the way that his stature had gone rigid, that this was something far more than just a _meeting_ as Imai-san had put it. Given Imai-san's enigmatic nature, it now makes sense to Mikan that she may or may not have sugar-coated the implications of the event. It explained why Mikan now found herself wondering if she would have a job to return to the following day.

She swallowed hard and attempted to keep the nervous sweat form accumulating while also hoping the ground would swallow her whole. The door behind her was closed, per Hyuuga-san's anger, but she imagined the rest of the office to have cleared out. In fact, Mikan would even go far as to say that her and Hyuuga-san were the last two remaining on the floor. Everyone else had been mentioning their plans after they left the office, and it made Mikan wish she could be among them at the bars, having a casual drink before heading back home. And good god could Mikan go for a drink at that very moment.

Allowing herself to look defeated, Mikan looks through her eyelashes to her boss where she says. "This is purely my mistake, and I will cancel and inform Imai-sant—"

"Imai is far too persistent," Hyuuga-san immediately shot that option down. Recalling Imai-san's confidence, that was something that made sense. So then Mikan offered an alternative solution.

"Then I could go alone and shadow Imai-san. That is something that isn't entirely unheard of. That, and that gives us a week of preparation in the event that—"

Hyuuga-san stared her incredulously, not in the way that said he didn't believe she could do it but more so in a way that stated he couldn't believe she thought that that was a plausible solution. It was almost as if his eyes were telling her that that could _never_ be an option. And it was due to that that Mikan grew exasperated and accidentally slipped into a glare. Hyuuga-san immediately noticed and was about to speak out against it when Mikan immediately snapped, "I'm sorry. I am trying to correct my wrongs, but you don't seem to be too keen on allowing me to do so." Her boss raised a brow, less angry but more shocked now that Mikan had finally found her voice. Within it, Mikan hoped he could hear her exasperation. Her stress built upon the confusion. And then to be scolded for something she hadn't been allowed to properly explain which, yes, is a common element of the job and, yes, she shouldn't have allowed such a thing to happen but it didn't seem like her boss wanted her to right her wrongs. That is, it seemed as if he wanted her to wallow in her mistakes and never learn from them. That, or he didn't want her to solve her mistakes _alone._ And that was where Mikan decided to draw the line before falling deeper into the rabbit hole of unspoken intentions.

"Forgive me if I am speaking out of line here," Mikan started with an air of transparency to show she held no bitterness, nor did she want to accuse of him anything. "But I believe that my treatment here is out of the ordinary. Between the interview and this morning, your attitude of me changed which gave Luna-san the basis for accusing me for what she did. Not to mention, sir, you offered me an unprecedented responsibility after one interaction with a client. After a few months, that seems plausible but—"

Hyuuga-san held up his hand, seeming as if he was seconds away from firing her. Instead he responded with something allusive. A harrowing response that informed Mikan of tragic foreshadowing but gave her no information regarding what it may have been that he was speaking of:

"We may not have a few months."

.

The two rarely spoke for the following week. Days flew by like pages of a book and, oddly, when Mikan ran into Luna-san, she spoke to her with far less accusation. She even went so far as to apologize, which made Mikan question what it was that Hyuuga-san had said to her. Mikan expected to find herself being terrorized but, instead, Mikan found that Luna-san taught her plenty of secrets about the workplace. Being her own boss, Luna-san had power that Mikan considered to be parallel to Hyuuga-san's. Luna-san formally described her position in relation to the three other, powerful entities of the company. First was Hyuuga-san.

"Natsume is the head of the company, and he uses his discretion to partition company projects to Ruka, Imai, and myself." Mikan had asked where Koko stood on the social ladder of the company, wondering why he had been present during her interview. Luna-san didn't find that to be out of the ordinary, and explained that she imagined Ruka often encouraged Hyuuga-san to allow the employee to be present to the individual being interviewed felt comfortable. "I imagine it is because Hyuuga-san is not aware of how intimidating he can be, so Ruka often dictates the interviews." She then recounted a story in which Hyuuga-san effectively scared off four different secretaries. "All were amazingly qualified, but after coming face-to-face with his attitude, we never heard from them ever again." At the back of her mind, Mikan thanked Nogi-san for not leaving her to be interviewed by Hyuuga-san alone.

The conversations were long and very informative. She learned that Imai-san was indeed the liaison for Engineering Affairs which was located at a different location. Imai was reputable engineer with which Hyuuga-san formed a partnership many of years ago. It was only until recently that he officially gave her company the discretion of performing all engineering purposes for the company. "They've known each other since college," Luna-san elaborated. "So it was to be expected."

Nogi-san represented all off-site locations. He was often travelling to said location in place of Hyuuga-san which was why you rarely saw him hanging around the office. "He is especially busy now that he wants to place some locations in the United States."

And then there was Luna-san, who had known Hyuuga-san far longer than Imai-san. "We were children when we first met," Luna-san explained, almost with a hint of nostalgia. "We've both changed drastically, but our relationship remains the same." She paused. "Even the scolding." It was at this point Mikan nervously asked if her and Hyuuga-san had once been in a relationship, and Luna-san laughed loudly. Mikan, afraid someone would hear them beyond the walls of Luna-san's office, ducked. Luna-san waved her hand and said, "We are more like siblings than anything. We wouldn't dare."

But Luna-san had said that it was thanks to that relationship that she was able to pursue her passion for Communications. Being the Head of Communications, Hyuuga-san left her in charge of interacting with the outside world. "Natsume has always hated the spotlight. I, on the other hand, love it."

To Mikan, this made sense, and she raised a brow as she finally realized just how impressively powerful her bosses were. That didn't top Mikan from pausing stopping Luna-san one day just as she was about to head into her office and say, "Uh, Luna-san—"

"Luna is fine, you know," Luna responded, looking as though she was disgusted by the sign of respect.

Mikan retracted and shyly said, "Okay… Luna. I just want to know… you aren't being nice to me because Hyuuga-san scolded you… right?"

Luna narrowed her eyes, offended. "I befriend whomever I want." She stopped and looked Mikan up and down, smiling at the adherence Mikan had taken to the lookbook. "Natsume is right about your skillset. You've got a lot of potential that I want to foster. Who knows where you'll end up." Mikan blushed as Luna began to see her way to her office, but a distance away Luna stopped and slowly turned around. "And Mikan—" Mikan didn't know exactly when Luna had begun calling her by her first name, but Mikan didn't seem to mind "—don't let what I said about you before question whether I believe you are welcome here." She smiled sadly. "We are all battling demons, and mine got the best of me." And then she was gone.

Mikan sat there, stunned for only second before shaking the event from her head and focusing on the event to come: the _annual_ event. It was the day after tomorrow, a Saturday night, and with the very few forms of correspondence between herself and Hyuuga-san, all Mikan knew was that Hyuuga-san did not trust her to find proper attire so he demanded that they go get her fitted at his preferred specialist the morning of. Mikan was extremely against the idea, but then she remembered the anxiety must have been feeling about an event he didn't want to go to in the first place. That, and she wanted to ask him about his comment which seemed to state that their time was pressed.

Hyuuga-san also planned to drive the two of them to the venue, which was less of a venue but a _house_ of a "valuable partner." It was because of this that Hyuuga-san demanded that he pick Mikan up at her apartment and drive the two there. He wanted to be there at a specific time, and he wanted everything to happen in an orderly fashion. Very familiar with his need for organization, Mikan did not argue. She just prayed.

And her thoughts continued to turn over themselves in a cyclical motion throughout the rest of the day. Her mind was two days from now, wondering how she was going to act around her boss. More importantly, she was wondering how her boss was going to act around so many people. She attempted to plan out ways to keep him from the crowd, but it all resulted in nothing. It was very difficult predicting how the event would go when, first of all, she had never been. Then there was the fact that Hyuuga-san's emotions were so sporadic. Mikan felt extremely guilty in that she had gotten themselves into this situation, but she had no idea how to fix it.

A cold chill pulls Mikan from herself, and she realizes that she had glided secretly into the night hours. She had rather absent-mindedly responded to her coworkers farewells as they went home, not bothering to notice just how empty the office had gotten. Only a few offices lights were still on, and even fewer secretaries remained. And this wasn't something that was new to Mikan. Given the past couple of days with the even approaching, Mikan was given a little extra work by Hyuuga-san to do in preparation for the characters they were bound to meet. It was Hyuuga-san's intention, however, to have her study the material once she got home. The busses would be further and further apart the longer she stayed in the office, so Hyuuga-san made it a point to encourage the public transportation commuters to go home as soon as possible. But, because Hyuuga-san was remaining relatively secretive in terms of his communication with Mikan, he wasn't aware of the fact that Mikan stayed later than he would had preferred. Mikan just always made it a point to leave before he did which was usually around ten o'clock at night.

It was ten-thirty.

Panicking, Mikan frantically grabbed at her things to leave before Hyuuga-san emerged which could have been at any second. Mikan knew he would be especially cranky seeing as he was leaving later than normal, and it would be terrible to end the day with a scolding which would have been from great intentions but nonetheless a scolding. With that on her mind, Mikan picked up the pace which given her clumsy nature was not a good idea. Instantly, her hand brushed her pen holder a little bit too roughly, causing it to tip and the contents went spilling across her table. She quickly swiped it up, knowing there were footsteps from within Hyuuga-san's office coming to perform an inspection, and she'd rather be caught red-handed with a tidy desk.

The door to Hyuuga-san's office swung open roughly and Mikan winced, preparing for the onslaught. When nothing happened, Mikan turned and met his gaze. She was shocked to find how exhausted and possibly pale he appeared. "What are you doing here," he asked not angrily, but softly. Passively.

Mikan looked to her desk and cluttered purse. "Finishing up last minute details," she responded before looking to him, evaluating his state of health. "I'm going home now. Are you okay, Hyuuga-san?"

"I'm fine." He looked about the office, noting that mostly everyone else had gone. He then looked to his watch before looking back up at Mikan. It looked as though he was thinking deeply about his next move before offering, "Let me drive you home. It's late."

There was the slightest of pauses before Mikan loudly rejected. Hyuuga-san winced at the volume of her voice. "I'll be fine," Mikan lowered her voice, before picking up her purse. Hyuuga-san rolled his eyes before turning and disappearing back into his office. Mikan had thought that this meant he was allowing her to leave, so she shut off her desktop and made her way to the elevator. She was somewhere in the middle of hoping the elevator would come before her boss did when she felt Hyuuga-san's presence beside her. She closed her eyes and cursed the gods for not granting her this one wish.

The silence between the two was unsettling for Mikan, but Hyuuga-san didn't seem to be bothered at all. Instead, when the elevator came, he saw himself in and turned, eyeing Mikan in a way that asked, _are you coming?_ Mikan gulped and hoped he couldn't sense how timid she was becoming. What was she supposed to do? Start some small talk? Pretend she didn't understand a task for the following day and ask him about it? _No_ , Mikan immediately abandoned that idea, _he wouldn't like that one._ Especially since they were tasks he had done several times over by that point. So, she elected to stay silent and allow the elevator ride to be as peaceful as it possible.

When the time to leave the elevator was approaching, Mikan was prepared to make a break for it. She clutched at her purse and thought of the quickest route to her bus stop, not running from an unknown attacker but her boss. She watched him eye the elevator floors light up, and when the light disappeared from the window that illuminated the number four, she saw his eyes narrow.

"My bus stop is right around the corner," Mikan explained unnecessarily. _Third floor._ "You should just go home, Hyuuga-san."

"The bus won't come for another thirty minutes," Hyuuga-san responded. _Second floor._ "I checked." _Of course he did,_ Mikan groaned to herself.

She looked around, looking for something else to say. Something to counter his determination but it was clear clinging to "I'll be fine" wouldn't change Hyuuga-san's mind. So Mikan decided to do the only thing she could in the moment: she closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she heaved a sigh of defeat.

 _First floor._


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! So things are looking pretty darn good on my end, I hope everything is looking great on yours! I really want to know: comment something super amazing that happened to you this week!**

 **I hope you enjoy this week's chapter! Everything is starting to make sense in terms of my vision for this story, so hopefully all the loose/confusing ends I've created begin to get pulled together for all of you!**

 ** _Chapter 6_**

Mikan stared at the sleek, black door that separated her from the parking garage and the inside of Hyuuga-san's unsurprisingly impressive car, as if it would somehow magically open to welcome her. But it didn't, so she continued to stare until Hyuuga-san paused on the driver's side and peered over at her from across the hood. He watched her idly before ordering in a tone that seemed more bored than authoritative: "Get in."

And maybe it was the way he looked at her with those assertive, crimson eyes. Or maybe it was just her subconscious. Either way, Mikan had no desire to get into that car. "Really, Hyuuga-san," she sook her head, "Its better if I just took the bus."

"Get in the car," Hyuuga-san repeated. His tone never changed, but his eye twitched and that was far more threatening.

"But I live so far—"

"Get. In. The. Car."

This is hardly professional—"

"Sakura!" Mikan jumped. To hear him shout like that made the small woman feel like she had lost the ability to move any of her limbs. Not to mention… he finally said her name. And so, immediately she receded from her defiance only to revert to staring at the handle. All it took then was for her to reach her hand out and pull, and then she would be within the confines of a vehicular prison which was a lot worse than it originally sounded. And then, there was that other problem…

There was an exasperated sigh, and Mikan looked up to find Hyuuga-san eyeing her yet again… or maybe he neve stopped. "We are wasting time," he stated simply.

In reality, they had probably spent about five minutes having this discussion, an amount of time Mikan didn't find to be enough to worry over. But, then again, her boss was different. That was about all she understood about him: Hyuuga-san behaved in such a way that explained his distant demeanor. With attentiveness to both detail and dirt, Hyuuga-san coveted his possessions, and Mikan knew that it was even larger than that. It was this mere fact that stopped her from opening that door with her bare hands. She did not want to witness the aftermath, nor did she want to be the cause. I just—" she stammered, looking for the right words to say. "That means I have to touch your car, and I just don't know if that's a… good idea?" She ended in the tone of a question, almost if she were asking if that was the proper way to express her concern. Oddly enough, Hyuuga-san understood.

He looked away for saying, "I wouldn't offer to do something I wasn't comfortable with." He peered back at her, seemingly embarrassed for having to mention such a thing, so Mikan apologized by appeasing him. She nodded, and welcomed herself into his car. She mumbled something along the lines of "Sorry for the intrusion" before lowering herself into the seat.

She did her best not to touch anything that wasn't meant to be touched. The car door and the seatbelt were the only things that weren't on that list, so she sat with her knees tightly pressed together, and her hands lying upon her lap. Besides her, Hyuuga-san carefully adjusted the ventilation system, all the way down to the direction of the air currents. Mikan did her best not to watch him, but it was peculiar she couldn't help it. It's when he pulled back into his own seat and waited for a few seconds did he decide to finally turn the car on, and Mikan found herself shocked when the vents were brought to life. Extreme comfort, and it was from the corners of her eyes that she realized Hyuuga-san was checking for her reaction, prepared to make any necessary changed. Or it was very possible he was simply waiting for her, which was a thought that found its way to Mikan when Hyuuga-san reminded her, "You'll have to give me directions."

Jumping to life, Mikan told him the district she lived in. Nodding, he kicked the car into gear and began to exit the parking garage. Mikan allowed him to drive in silence, as she assumed that was something he would do if she weren't sitting in the passenger seat. As he drove, Mikan looked out the window and watched the city pass the two of them by. Soon she forgot who was driving her home, and instead reimagined the days when her and her grandpa would drive to different areas simply for the act of it. They would enjoy each other's presence in the silence that they created. Those were the comfortable days, and it almost made Mikan choke up as her grandpa had passed away during her years in college. To prevent herself from getting lost in her emotions, the brunette allowed her eyes to drop and focus on something else. Something like the opportunity to finally address everything that had been weighing heavily on her mind.

"Hyuuga-san?" Mikan looked toward the road before her, avoiding any eye contact that may arise by her sudden inquiry. She saw Hyuuga-san's eyes shift from the road for a fraction of a second before returning to the road. Mikan took this as permission to ask, "Have you ever driven someone home before?"

His eyes narrowed, and Mikan didn't take this as a good sign. Granted, she didn't take anything he ever did as a good sign. "No," he responded firmly. "You're the first to ignore my order that each employee leave before dark."

Mikan ignored that last comment. "That's not the only reason, is it?" There was a small pocket of silence that Mikan feared would grow into something she couldn't disperse. So, she quickly attempted to recover by saying, "I apologize, that was out of line!"

"This entire situation is out of line," Hyuuga-san clarified, and Mikan couldn't exactly make a case against his point. Regardless, he surprised Mikan by answering her question with, "Besides. You already have your answer."

Within the confines of the car, Mikan finally removed her eyes from the road to look toward her boss who was already looking in her direction. But rather than looking away, like Mikan half expected him to, his eyes lingered on hers for a moment before returning to the road in fluid motion. Mikan hadn't realized she had held her breath until the contact was broken. Oddly enough, she wasn't afraid like she thought she shouldn't have been. Instead, there was this feeling of intimidation. Not against him, but against the way her body reacting. She shifted in her seat and slowing her breath to calm her heart which pushed warmth up her neck and toward her cheeks. She swallowed. "I—" her voice came out soft, but it didn't waver "—I could be wrong."

"You're not," Hyuuga-san assured her, and so she looked away and out the window. "I can tell in the way you've changed your work habits." He paused. "No secretary of mine has done that before." He paused. "They have all been unforgiving toward my obsessive disorder—" Mikan choked. She hadn't thought he would actually say it "—but you have done so… exceptionally."

Mikan pursued her lips, as a smile threatened to betray her professionality. "Thank you," she expressed, knowing that this was Hyuuga-san's way of providing a compliment. When he nodded, she puffed her chest. Gaining Hyuuga-san's approval was something everyone in the office strived for, Mikan was sure. It couldn't have been just her.

Her smile faded, though, when another question was caught creeping into her mind. The scene of about a week prior popped into her head, and Hyuuga-san's words rung in her head with alarm. "But—" they were approaching her district, so if there was ever a time to ask such a question, it was now "—that won't stop you from firing me, will it?"

With confusion written on his brow, Hyuuga-san asked, "What are you talking about? Who said—"

"You did," Mikan turned in her seat. She didn't know when she had gotten so comfortable in her present situation to become so active in a car that wasn't hers, but her mind was preoccupied to the point where she did not seek to correct herself. And Hyuuga-san didn't correct her either… Instead he was waiting for an explanation. "You said, and I quote, ' _We may not have a few months_.'" Hyuuga-san face changed when he heard Mikan's imitation of him, and everything about his face said he didn't appreciate the exaggeration. Meanwhile, Mikan thought it was the most accurate impression she's ever done. "I know I'm wrong for inquiring but it was one mistake and— _turn right here!_ "

Hyuuga-san jerked the car to the right, hissing out Mikan's name as he did so. He was seconds from missing the turn, and Mikan hardly expected him to attempt to make it in the first place. But there they were, driving down the street the would eventually lead the two of them to her apartment. Unfortunately, this meant that the conversation would also end, and Mikan didn't feel like ignoring the dejection that began to settle into her stomach.

Beside her, Hyuuga-san continued almost as if Mikan's blunder in giving directions hadn't happened. A weight was lifted off of Mikan's shoulders when Hyuuga-san disclosed, "I have no intention of firing you." Almost to provide further clarification, he restated it by saying, "I was referring to… something else."

"The event," Mikan asked, although she already had her answer. Hyuuga-san nodded, and turned into Mikan's apartment complex when she pointed it out. "Why does Imai-san want you to go to this event?" No answer. "Hyuuga-san—"

" _Why are you asking so many questions_ ," Hyuuga-san snapped, and Mikan recoiled almost instantly.

Mikan composed herself more so out of a newfound concern for her boss versus herself. There was something larger at play here, and Mikan felt like she had dragged Hyuuga-san into trouble he had been trying to avoid. And yet, he wasn't going to punish her for it. "Are you in some kind of trouble, Hyuuga-san? Because, if you are, we can just—"

Running and hand through his hair, Hyuuga-san ruined his otherwise perfectly sculpted demeanor. Mikan held her breath. "It's not me Imai wants at that event."

Looking confused, and then with incredulity, Mikan laughed nervously before pointing to herself. She didn't speak a word before Hyuuga-san looked away. Hyuuga-san sighed and then turned the car off. He shifted his position until he was facing Mikan, who was slowly retreating from him. Noticing this, Hyuuga-san looked extremely apologetic for the first time during Mikan's employment. It was far more unsettling than Mikan imagined it would be.

Scared, Mikan whispered, "What are you not telling me?"

Sighing, Natsume looked up to the apartment complex before returning his eyes to Mikan.

" _Do you mind if I come in?_ "


	8. Discontinuation

This is most likely not what everyone was waiting for, but I cannot continue to write until I do this. And, who knows, maybe I'm jumping the gun. Maybe I'm being far too sentimental for my Aries (that's Aries sun and moon) nature. But I'm going to do it because I for too long have tried to create under a façade.

Here's the thing: I don't feel real. I feel like a fake. A fraud. I feel like I'm trying to become this thing that, when you look at everyone doing it, you see me and go, "Who the hell is this poser?!"

Because of these thoughts, for the past year or so, I've been battling self-image issues. I've been going through various phases, finding that I don't "fit" it, and then going through another phase. Not only is it stressful (and expensive), but it's also depressing and lonely.

I really hate doubting myself some days, but guys I think something is changing.

I feel like my creativity is on the come up.

Recently, I've been concocting all of these various projects. I've been reading more, writing more, exploring photography and videography. I've been so immersed in this that I forgot there was a world where I once started.

The truth is this: I truly do believe myself and my identity are going somewhere. This means, however, that I can't return to gentle hands. Not on FanFiction.

Like I said, FanFiction is where I started, and every fiber within my being knows that this is not where I will end. Every fiber, instead, is itching to go beyond this familiar writing landscape.

Furthermore, I cannot write within the restrictions of predetermined characters anymore. When I imagine this story, I think of complex unidentifiable beings. Beings I've never met before, and beings I want to meet.

As a result, I will be taking this story off the site, putting it on the back burner, and I will potentially be starting it up again elsewhere.

There is another site where I will be far more open about my identity, passion for creative writing, photography, travelling, etc. and if you are interested in such a thing, please let me know in the comments and I will share that information at a later date.

If not, I apologize profusely to all of those who stuck around waiting for me to get my sh*t together. I truly wish I could stay here with all of you, but it's time I leave my little pity party and venture out into a world where I roam free.

Love you all, and I hope to see you all on the other site!


End file.
